“I'm kidding, I’m kidding.” She was really laughing now. “You’re the best big brother in the whole wide universe.”
“Now that’s more like it. Well I’ve gotta go baby girl. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Tell Kya I said hi.” She said sarcastically.
“Bye dork, I love you.”
“I love you too Zay.”
Chapter 7
Kya Renee
“Hey mom.” I said cheerfully after I placed my call on speaker since I was in the process of combing my hair out so that I could wash it. I answered optimistically hoping that we could survive a conversation without her making me feel like I wasn’t worthy of her approval.
“I haven’t talked to you so I figured I’d call and see how things were going.” My mother said.
“Everything’s good. I just have a lot of work to do.”
“Are your classes getting tough?”
“Not really tough it’s just that I have a paper due in like every class and a test in Psychology every other day.”
“It takes discipline but you will survive.” She said robotically.
“I know. I just wish that each of my professors would realize that I have more than just their class.”
“Welcome to the real word honey. You just have to find a way to make it work.”
“I know. I am. It’s just frustrating.” I don’t know why I even try. You don’t really care as long as the end result is a GPA worth bragging to your colleagues about.
“So how are things with you and Xavier?”
“Good I guess.” Why did I ever tell her that we were back together?
“That doesn’t sound too positive.” My mother said sounding a little unsettled. “Are you sure that you really want to deal with that again.” Good lord please don’t start.
“I don’t know, I’m just kind of day by day when it comes to him but things are straight right now.” I lied. No sense in setting off alarms.
“Well just be careful. Don’t put too much into it until you really know where his head’s at.” Translation, he’s not worth your time and not polished enough for me to discuss over tea with the who’s who of our tiny little irrelevant town.
“I won’t.”
“Kya, I’m serious. You guys have a bad habit of bringing out the worst in each other.”
“I know, I’m just chilling right now.” I said shortly.
My mother and I had a decent relationship but I generally tried to keep her as far away from my relationship with Xavier as I could. She wasn’t really his biggest fan but most of it was because she was a family court lawyer and she saw a lot of cases that involved alcoholic or abusive parents and she had to deal with the children that were affected by it. She just couldn’t separate him from her case kids so in her eyes he was always damaged goods.
Also living in a small town didn’t help much because everyone know his family history and her reputation was far more important than the good that I saw in Xavier. It just wasn’t proper for her child to be caught up with a guy whose family history was less than respectable. I didn’t really care about any of that because as far as I was concerned Xavier’s parents did not define him anymore than mother defined me. She and I were completely different and our views on things like Xavier and his family were at constant conflict. You can’t help who you love and my heart had already made its choice.
My mother was all about image and I was a lawyer’s kid so I was supposed to behave a certain way and date a certain type of guy. Xavier did not fit the plan that my mother had laid out for my life and she had never been shy about letting me know that every chance she got. I knew that my mother loved me but sometimes it really felt like that love was contingent on whether or not I made decisions about my life that she approved of.
“Just be careful is all I ask. I know you care about him but that doesn’t mean that he’s the best thing for you. I would rather you stay focused on school right now. If it’s meant to be it will be so don’t try to force a fit.”
“Okay.” I said hoping that she would get the hint and let it go.
“So when are you coming home for Christmas?”
“My last exam is on the eighth so sometime after that.”
“Good, I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me too. I need a break and you’ll be stuck with me for almost a month. Are you ready for that?” I asked.
“Of course. I have a pile of dishes already waiting on you.”
“Not funny. Keep it up and I’ll just stay here instead.”
“I’m not worried about that. You wouldn’t miss a chance to come home and aggravate your father.” Her indirect way of saying that she knew my excitement about coming home for winter break had little to do with her.
“True. Well I gotta go. I’ll talk to you soon. I’m about to wash my hair.”
“Alright honey, take care and I love you.”
“Love you too.”
I stood up, walked into my bathroom, parted my hair down the middle and then pulled half of it into a ponytail before I began combing through my thick curly locks. Once I was satisfied I pulled it into a ponytail and then freed the other side so that I could repeated the process. When I was finished I had two oversized curly puffs extending from each side of my head. I leaned close to the mirror to check out the waves that I saw caused by my loose curl patterns. I cleaned up the hair that had fallen all over my counter, flushed it down the toilet and turned on my shower. The water at our dorms got extremely hot just like I liked it. I dashed in my room to grab two towels one for my body, the other for my hair and then stepped in the shower. About thirty minutes I had a head full of tight soaked curls, a body that smelled like mango-coconut and Xavier sitting on my bed.
“Looks like I made it just in time.” Xavier said when I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in an oversized pink towel.
“I thought you had late practice.” I said ignoring his comment about me not being dressed.
“I do.”
Xavier was sitting on the side of my bed phone in hand in the process of texting someone. When he was done he dropped it on the bed, stood up and moved towards me. I was standing in front of my closet with the door wide open trying to figure out what to wear so my back was to him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck first and then my shoulder.
“I don’t know why you’re looking in there. This works right here.” He said and gently tugged on the sides of the towel that I had wrapped around me.
“Mmhmm I bet.” I said before pushed a section of clothes to the side and then pulled a pair of jeans off of one of my hangers.
Xavier laughed before he sat down on my bed and picked up his phone. I grabbed a thong out of my draw, slide it on up under my towel and then did the same with my jeans. I searched through my draw again until I located the matching bra. I turned my back towards Xavier, dropped my towel, hooked it and then adjusted it around my chest before I pulled the straps up.
He wasn’t paying attention to me because he was reading something on his phone. I grabbed a royal blue A&T t-shirt out of my drawer and pulled it over my head before I hopped onto the bed next to him. I caught a glimpse of his phone before he locked the screen and realized he was reading a message from Tori. I decided not to say anything because I wasn’t in the mood for an argument and things had been really good between us for the past couple weeks so I figured it wasn’t worth the energy.
“When are you done with your exams?” I asked.
“I only have one and it’s on the third. Why what’s up?” He asked and then picked up one of my pillows, propped it under his head and then leaned back and began twisting a piece of his hair.
“How do you only have one final?” I asked.
“Cause I got it like that.” He said jokingly.
“Seriously?”
“I took mine early because we have games but I still have to take one for Trig.”
“I was about to say.”
&nbs
p; “Say what, that you jelly of that baller’s life.”
“Whatever man. Are you going to wait for me before you head home so I can ride with you? That way I don't have to drive?”
“When you talking about leaving?”
“My last one is on the eighth so we can leave after that.”
“I only get to go home for a week because we play at home on the 20th and then Greenville on the 28th.” He said.
"So when are you going back?"
"I have to be back on 14th for the game on the 20th. I'm going home after that game and then I have to be back at school on the 26th."
"Dang that's our whole Christmas break." I said disappointed. I had expected us to spend our winter break together. It was stuff like this that made me hate that fact that he was an athlete.
"I know so you better act right while I'm gone.” He said and pulled me back towards him but I immediately sat back up.
"My hair is still wet and I'm not the one with behavioral issues. You just make sure the only people that are in your dorm are Chaz, Trey and Ethan."
"So you want me to chill at my hoes cribs instead of bringing them to mine."
I punched Xavier in the thigh as hard as I could. He grabbed his leg, sat up and laughed "Chill ky I was just kidding. That shit hurt." He said rubbing the spot where I hit him.
"Keep playing." I said.
"Oh so you tough now." He said and grabbed me around the waist and then rolled me onto my back. He pinned my arms down above my head and smiled at me.
"I got you handled." I said and then began to try and wiggle my hands free to get away but it was pointless.
"I think you got that wrong." He said with a grin.
"You better let me go."
"Or what?"
"You know what." I said and laughed.
"It's like that?"
"Just saying."
"Try to hold out if you want but you'll break before I do." He said.
"You're crazy." I said and this time I laughed really hard. "Now move so I can finish drying my hair."
I pulled one of my hands free and dug my fingers into his side which made him jump because he was super ticklish.
"You better be glad I love you." He said and then let me go.
I stood up and ran my fingers through my half dry hair. "No you better be glad I love you."
"Whatever punk. Hurry up so we can go eat. A brother is running on empty."
"Chill man. You're always hungry." I rolled my eyes.
"It takes a lot to keep all this running." He pointed to his body.
"You're dumb." I said and then walked into the bathroom to begin the process of so called defining my curls and about thirty minutes later I emerged wearing a bright yellow headband pushed back just past my hair line with the rest of my hair pulled back into a neat curly ponytail that sprouted from the back of my head at the nape of my neck.
Xavier was on his back with his left forearm resting across his forehead. I could hear his slow steady breathing so I figured he had fallen asleep.
I walked back into my bathroom and picked up the plastic orange trash can, carried it into the kitchen and stepped on the black handle to lift the lid before I emptied mine into it. I heard voices in Toni’s room but the door was closed so I walked over to it and then knocked but I didn’t wait for a reply before I opened it.
“What’s up boo?” Toni said when she looked up and saw me. She was sitting on her bed with Ethan who was leaning back against the wall with his long legs hanging off the side.
“What are you two up to?” I asked.
“Chilling. You know how we do.” Ethan said and extended a closed fist in the air towards me expecting a fist bump so I stepped towards him and gave one. “I see my boy is in there knocked out. What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything to him, he’s just lazy.”
“She took four hours to do this.” Xavier said as he yanked the back of my ponytail and then jumped back expecting me to hit him.
“It was like thirty minutes so shut up.” I said and cut my eyes at him.
When he felt like he was free from retaliation Xavier walked up behind me and placed his chin on top of my head but I still gently elbowed him in the ribs.
“So can we go eat now?” He asked.
“What’s the move?” Ethan said.
“Chipotle!” Xavier said as if anyone really had to ask.
I held my head back to look up at him, “How are you not sick of that place?”
“Chipotle is life.”
“I’m down.” Ethan said.
“Who’s driving?” Toni said.
“I will. Let’s go.” Xavier said.
The four of us left the dorms and piled into Xavier’s Jeep. He and I in the front with Ethan and Toni in the back. When we got to Chipotle it was busy as always so the Toni and I found table connected to a booth while the guys ordered and when everyone had their food we settled into our meals and conversation. We laughed and joked for about an hour and then headed back to the dorms. Ethan left with Xavier for practice leaving me and Toni free for some much needed girl time. It had been awhile since it was just the two of us so we got comfy in Toni's room for some Netflix and girl talk.
“So you and Ethan seem pretty cozy. Is he still just a situation?”
“Girl you have no idea. I have seen the light boo.”
“You're slow.” I said and then laughed. I was sitting upright on a pile of pillows next to Toni in her bed with my knees propped up balancing a bowl of popcorn between my chest and my thighs. “So what makes you so sure this time? I do recall having the same conversation about Ant, and Ty before that.”
“Girl you making it seem like I on some free love kind of stuff.” Toni said and then grabbed a handful of popcorn.
I laughed really loud. “No I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out why you trying to go ring shopping already.”
“I can't even explain it. He's just so….so….Ethan.”
“No you didn't. Girl you are so gone. So Ethan? What the heck does that even mean?”
Now Toni was laughing. “I told you I can't explain it boo.”
“Well you need to try because it's only been a hot minute and you trying to send out wedding invitations.”
“You know how you're with someone and it just feels right? Like everything just fits? Well that's how we are. I feel like we've know each other forever. He's so different with his mean self always acting like he’s running things.” Toni said sarcastically and then laughed.
“He's not mean. He's just not like those punks you usually deal with who let you run all over them. You got a real man girl he's not with that punk stuff.”
“Whatever girl, no man can run this.” Toni said and then slapped her thigh.
“You're right no man, just one man named Ethan Evans.” I said and then laughed. “He has you in check and you know it so stop frontin’.”
“Well at least I'm not alone in that club. Looks Zay’s got you locked pretty tight these days. So I guess that means his Kya wannabe is out the picture?” Toni said referring to Xavier’s last distraction Tori.
“I guess. He hasn't really said much about it and I haven't asked but he said it's just us and that's how things have been lately so I don't know.”
“You believe him?” Toni asked a little more serious now.
“I want to.”
“But?”
“You already know the but. We've been there done that so many times and it always ends with him and some trick.”
“So why try again?”
“It's all I know and at least with him I know what I have. It's not perfect but it's us.”
“I feel ya but if he does that crap again Ky I swear I'll kill him myself.” Toni laid her head on my shoulder, “and no matter what you always got me.”
“For life. “ I said.
“For life.” Toni agreed
I woke up with a cramp in my neck. My phone was in my hand placed on my chest and T
oni was lying next to me with her head on my shoulder. I didn't remember falling asleep but I was seriously regretting it because I had apparently slept in an awkward position all night.
I climbed out of Toni's bed and almost knocked over a half-eaten bowl of popcorn in the process. When my feet hit the floor I bent over and grabbed my calves to stretch my back and then extended them over my head and leaned back as far as I could without falling before I left for her own room.
The second I was back in my room I climbed on my bed, grabbed my body pillow and wrapped myself around it. It was 6:00 in the morning and I had another hour to sleep before it was time to start getting ready for my eight o’clock class. Days like this made me regret having my classes scheduled so early.
“You have class in like twenty minutes.” Toni said standing over me after I had slept through my alarm.
“What time is it?” I asked still half asleep.
Toni looked down at her phone and then back at me. “7:38.”
“Crap! Why didn't you wake me up?” I yelled, rolled off my bed and frantically began to get ready for class.
“I just did.” Toni said calmly and then took my spot on my bed.
“Thank god I took a shower last night.” I said as I battled with a pair of black leggings and then a pair of gray and black Nikes. After I had them on I rushed into the bathroom turned on the water in the sink, pumped a face wash into my hands and the rubbed it on my face before I grabbed my toothbrush, layered it with toothpaste and shoved it in my mouth. When I was done brushing my teeth I grabbed a washcloth from under her sink and washed my face.
“What time is it?” I yelled to Toni as I pulled the hair tie out of my hair to release my ponytail. I untwisted the top of my coconut hair pudding and the stuck two fingers in it and scooped out some which I rubbed in my hands and then into my hair.
“7:44” Toni yelled from my bedroom
I brushed my hair back into a ponytail. As soon as I was done I made my way back into my room, took off the t-shirt that I was wearing, yanked a gray American Eagle sweatshirt off a hanger and pulled it over my head. Ready in record time. I picked up my Nike hat off the dresser, my book bag, phone and keys.
Kya & Xavier: It's Always Been You (Life As We Know It Book 1) Page 10